Saanich Councillor Colin Plant will be officially stepping out of municipal politics and throwing his hat in the ring for a seat in the House of Commons as the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands.
Plant has been a member of the municipal council in Saanich since 2014, all the while juggling his career as a teacher at Claremont Secondary School and being a father of four.
He also is the Chair of the Capital Regional District (CRD) and sits on several boards and committees.
This past Saturday, he was officially elected the next federal NDP candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands, a seat previously held by Sabrina Singh.
Plant was nominated by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who recognized his dedication to localized politics.
“It’s an honour to be the NDP’s candidate in a riding that was once represented by NDP MP Lynn Hunter, one of the people who first inspired me to enter politics,” says Plant.
Hunter won the seat in 1988 and is the only NDP MP to successfully win it.
The Saanich-Gulf Islands riding has been held successfully since 2011 by Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, which might pose a challenge to Plant considering how long it’s been since the riding went orange.
In the last federal election in 2021, Elizabeth May won the seat with over 24,000 votes while Sabrina Singh garnered only around 12,000.
To cast their votes, over 150 NDP members and supporters crowded Sidney’s St. Andrews Hall.
Plant won the nomination over BC Government lawyer Devon Black.
Thank you to all the members who came out today and elected me to be the #NDP candidate in the next federal election in the #SaanichGulfIslands riding.
There is a lot of work ahead but I am up for it! I#yyjpoli #bcpoli #canpoli @SGI_NDP @NDP #NDP pic.twitter.com/XdypAmEinj
— Colin Plant (@ColinPlant2022) April 28, 2024
Plant follows in the footsteps of Sooke Mayor Maja Tait, who last year took the leap into federal politics by becoming the NDP’s next candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke as long-time MP Randall Garrison’s replacement.
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